The New England Patriots are looking to shock the world this weekend.
(Though, would anyone really be “shocked” if Tom Brady and Co. made it to another Super Bowl?)
The Patriots will square off with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday for the right to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LIII. After a long, uncharacteristically underwhelming regular season, New England once again finds itself in the AFC Championship Game — albeit as a rare underdog.
But if you’ve watched sports talk shows this week — or followed Julian Edelman’s social media activity — you know there aren’t many people who expect the Patriots to upset the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Here’s a list of “experts” who believe the Patriots will lose Sunday night in Kansas City:
— Shannon Sharpe? Check.
— Ray Lewis? You bet.
— Jason Whitlock? Yep.
— Nick Wright? Obviously.
— Colin Cowherd? Oh, for sure.
— Dick Vermeil? Without a doubt.
— Las Vegas? For the first time in a while, yes.
— The NFL itself? Possibly maybe definitely.
Some notable talking heads haven’t publicly made their picks, but they nonetheless spent much of the week hating on the Patriots.
We’re talking, of course, about the Max Kellermans and Rob Parkers of the world.
There also was some weird nonsense coming from Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, for some reason.
As for Sunday’s game, it should be a doozie. It also is expected to be played in relatively seasonal temperatures, despite initial daunting forecasts.
